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Sunday, September 30, 2012

This is a really powerful editorial released by OSEN that's well worth the read. The article is long so I'm skipping irrelevant parts.

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The picture above is of an 'enter key gun' and was drawn by Solbi to be released at her latest art exhibition.

It leaves a lasting impression in that the enter key is represented as a gun, and the resulting bullet is just moments away from hitting a falling woman. Solbi explained that it was an artistic expression of how every action and word of a celebrity is constantly placed on the chopping board for scrutiny and hate.

Others might think that for someone in a career that earns easy money for being loved by the public, that it's being weak to pay any mind to the hateful replies they sometimes receive. To the people that are on the receiving end, however, the replies crush their hearts harder than ever.

One idol star who's performed on stages all across the world once approached me with a netizen's ID and asked if I knew who that was. Of course, I had no idea. I nagged him for being so caught up in one hateful reply when he was receiving the love of so many, but he was serious.

"This netizen leaves a comment on every article related to me saying that he hates me. What about me does he hate? I really want to just spend 10 minutes and talk with him and see if he still hates me then. I want to know what he wants me to do for him to not hate me. There probably is no other option than to disappear from his eyes, right?"

On the internet, issues like plastic surgery and past photos for females and army enlistments for males are the most scandalous topics. The endless string of hateful replies can instantly crush the feelings of an exciting stage filled with cheers from their fans. It gets worse when the issue stretches to include their friends and family.

One anti has enough power to crush the heart of a star that took 100 fans to make. Although many promise themselves not to read the replies, they can't help but to since their careers are so sensitive to public sentiment. One top star who's earned numerous CF deals for being a 'likable star' with the public is unable to put down his smartphone at any time because he's so afraid of one hateful reply turning into hundreds.

With the development of social networking services, the situation has only gotten more severe. The hate hits faster and deeper into their hearts. Stars open their mentions to find lists upon lists of informal language and criticisms that even the strongest of hearts can't take. Although they know logically that they still have loving fans, that the public still thinks well of them... the damage has already been done.

This, on top of media outlets that abuse them for clicks on their site, can completely turn around a star's career in a night.

What about overseas? Why are there more celebrities in Korea suffering from depression due to hateful replies than in any other country?

One industry insider said this: "The hateful replies are probably worse overseas, but the stars just dismiss them as nothing more than just that: hate. Unfortunately for our country, hateful replies start to get interpreted as public sentiment. Someone with a few hateful replies can be branded as 'unliked by the public' and articles will soon come out about them being on the chopping block. That influences their careers greatly since show producers will be less likely to cast them on their shows. Even producers are scared of netizen comments on their message boards so it's impossible not to pay any mind to them. It's funny because in reality, if you took any of these netizens leaving hateful replies and brought them right in front of you, they'd be on their knees saying sorry."

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1. [+280, -43] I really like the last line.

2. [+254, -31] The majority of people are too lazy to leave a comment. It's just the minority leaving comments that people interpret as public opinion.

3. [+221, -40] I want to go and smack the heads of everyone taking a sh*t through their keyboards... Everyone, watch out for your heads.

I know Kwak Hyun Hwa isn't that popular (if you can recall, she tweeted a picture of her eating a banana and got some flak before), but I've seen some of you mention double standards and slut shaming before so I thought this would be an interesting read.

I originally wrote up the article because I saw a comment from a netizen who pointed out that everyone is quick to drool over Rain when he strips his shirt, but just as quick to slut shame any female celebrity that does the same. The comment was deleted after I refreshed (I don't know why).

The article is about her movie 'House With a Great View' being rated 19+ by the movie association for her excessive exposure.

1. [+155, -48] Sounds like a straight-for-TV movie

2. [+150, -36] If a pretty woman with a hot body exposes herself for you... Then you should watch it gratefully instead of criticizing her.

3. [+46, -42] Why is she like that when she graduated from Ewha University

4. [+41, -37] You have become a cheap woman

5. [+30, -12] What do you mean why is she like that when she's from Ewha, it's because she's from Ewha

6. [+29, -25] Why is she so desperate to take her clothes off...?

7. [+27, -22] I love Kwak Hyun Hwa for real ㅋㅋ

8. [+16, -10] If she wants to take her clothes off, then she can do so. What does this have anything to do with what college she graduated from? Does a woman's intelligence drop when she takes her clothes off? Even if you all were from Seoul University, that director would not have cast you if you offered to take your clothes off because you'd never be as pretty as her

9. [+14, -5] Can I request for lots of boob scenes.. With some banana eating shots. Just like you've always eaten them, ok?

10. [+14, -13] She's addicted to taking her clothes off. Eating bananas wasn't enough, she wants to show us her body now and it looks like the association isn't about to block that (because they're probably all malesㅋ)

11. [+11, -8] Her worth would've dropped so bad if there was a bed scene. I guess there isn't one.

1. [+142, -52] I'm not defending G-Dragon, and I think most people are like me offline in that they don't really care about what he's been up to since the marijuana incident.. I remember seeing him at Ellui with Lee Soo Hyuk and a few others where they ordered 10 bottles of Dom Perignon, but that's about it.

You have to realize that there are a lot of idols that play as hard as he does, it's just not revealed on the surface. I know one girl group member who acts as if she can't even be near cigarettes but anytime the group has overseas schedules, she'll grab a hotel room and use marijuana... I'm off topic but what I'm trying to say is that this is the nature of the entertainment industry.

From my perspective, I feel that his fans are pitiful for trying to protect their bias in any way they can, and I feel frustrated with the netizens for trying to see how far they can take this.. As a person completely unrelated to either side, I do admit that his reflection period was really short after his marijuana scandal and that he made a bad judgement in regards to that..

Yeah, GD probably has his own side to the story, but I think it'd be wise of him to stop doing media play like this thinking that antis will eventually give up on their own.. I mean, his occupation depends entirely on the interest of the public. Understand that just because you have popularity now doesn't mean you'll have it 10 years later, so wake up and do well...

2. [+121, -66] Stupid Big Bang fangirls, you think that only people on the internet hate on Big Bang? If you bring up the topic of Big Bang to anyone around me, you hear all sorts of swears ㅋㅋ Marijuana Jiyong, Sadist Seungri, we have a lot of laughs thanks to Big Bang ㅋ

Kang Ho Dong took a year off for reflection with just suspicions of tax evasion alone, while Kim Gu Ra even went on hiatus for reflection for something he said 10 years ago. In comparison to them, Big Bang is ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ We didn't even ask for an apology, all we asked is that you do at least as much as the others in comparison. No explanations were given, all you guys are doing is trying to sweep everything under the rug~ You're no different from T-ara and Kwang Soo ㅋㅋㅋ At least have some shame

1. [+143, -62] I'm really genuinely a fan.. but I have to admit.. they are over. TVXQ is not TVXQ without all five members.. Upsetting ㅜㅜ

2. [+93, -23] They were so great when they were five.. They took up such a large part of my school days. It makes me feel bitter to see all this fighting going around and them being hated on.. I just hope that they can go be respected for the different paths they've chosen without being hated on to this point

3. [+111, -58] When I see TVXQ's digital chart rankings, I can't help but think that they're really over now. They're barely ranked in 30th...

Saturday, September 29, 2012

First of all, I think I'm going to get rid of the sliders at the top of the site because I realize I don't have the time to be constantly updating them (it's a lot of finding pictures, resizing them to fit, and losing an eyeball over finding missing codes because I always screw something up when I switch them around).

I'm going to switch them out instead with random pictures of K-Pop stars so I'll take the first five suggestions for that and switch them whenever I feel we're all tired of seeing the same pictures.

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About requests...

I'll be honest, I haven't gotten into the habit of checking my Netizen Buzz e-mail.

I do, however, check my Tumblr asks throughout the day. I read EVERY SINGLE ONE, whether I take them up or not, but it largely depends on whether I can find comments for them (and if you don't see me taking the request, it's because I couldn't).

I don't answer Tumblr asks because I don't want to flood your dashboards, but I do promise to answer every single non-anon ask whether or not you want a response. I'm thinking of moving to Formspring, but it's not a large enough problem yet (I don't think).

I only read comments of the articles that are still on the first page so if you make any requests past that, I probably won't see it.

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Ever since I launched this blog, I've gotten a lot of requests for SISTAR's alleged chart manipulation. I was out of the industry at the time and the issue had mostly died out by the time I got back so I had to rely on Naver searches to see what was up. I'm assuming most of you that requested it are familiar with the side accusing them of manipulation so I'm asking you now if you're interested in the other side.

I found several posts that kind of analyze why SISTAR couldn't have manipulated the digital charts, but I was iffy on taking it up because I'm not familiar with the scandal in general.

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About the X-Files...

As expected, I got numerous requests for anything related to the X-Files. I remember my cousins grabbing hold of the file nearly a decade ago and it being this really elaborate 100 page pdf analyzation of top stars, but I was too young then to really care.

I tried looking for it now and noticed that any servers that hosted the file were contacted by lawyers, etc, to take them down so I'm not sure what the legal implications for me translating them would be...

I have found other X-Files roaming freely around blogs and sites, but I could tell immediately that they weren't what I remember reading on the original X-Files. I'll talk it over with some people about translating those, but for now, I don't think I'll touch on it until I have my bases covered.

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Some personal questions I've seen running around...

I update once before school and once after work, so my window for catching articles at the top is very, very, small... I'm fortunate that both windows are when the majority of internet users in Korea are at work, bored, and screwing around on the internet, or at home after work, bored, and screwing around on the internet.

Rankings change quickly - so just because I say I don't remember seeing it at the top doesn't mean it was never there. That's why I rely on a lot of your requests to fill in the gaps.

I've been noticing more media outlets putting out tabloid type articles, such as this 'Off the Record' series by reporters over at Everyday Economy. Another popular one is 'Whisper Gossip' by Daily Sports, a couple of which you've seen before on this blog.

As you've probably noticed with my last Rumor Mill, netizens aren't usually on the hunt to identify who's who unless it becomes a big enough issue where it's imperative (like crime) so most of these will be left anonymous for entertainment reading.

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● Composer 'A' is widely known as a producer of mega hits. Although he hasn't had a girlfriend in a long time, he's received a lot of love from the public for his smooth, romantic songs. It turns out that he hasn't had a girlfriend because he actually has a boyfriend. He hasn't come out of the closet yet but 'A' is currently living with his boyfriend. Those closest to him were said to have been surprised when they found out because you couldn't tell at all that he was gay.

● Actor 'B' who recently broke up with his girlfriend made an appearance at a public event ahead of the release of his movie. As it is his first public appearance following the break up, reporters were highly interested in what led to the demise of their relationship. The production company asked such questions to not be asked not for reasons of respecting his privacy, but because they know that he's an absolute monster when it comes to attitude. The production company went around asking reporters to turn a blind eye because "we all know how bad of an attitude B has." Reporters had no option but to comply.

● With Psy's 'Gangnam Style' becoming a hit all over America, there's also one other person who's been receiving the spotlight. It's none other than Park Jin Young of JYP Entertainment, who was one of the first to make an American advancement. Recently, it was revealed that Park Jin Young left for Israel to gain religious inspiration. They say he was highly stressed out from all of the comparisons he received to Psy.

● Actress 'A' has been on the rise for being much loved for her bright and cheerful personality in her latest drama. In a recent interview with her, however, we weren't able to see any of that. What sat before us was a cold, arrogant woman. Her personality was only about 30% in resemblance to her drama character. Because of her cold first impression, she said that she wasn't that popular in college. Still, her popularity remains explosive and she's receiving a lot of CF and drama love calls.

● You can often hear of news of relationships between company CEOs and their artists. Although there are a few relationships already revealed, there are a lot more underneath the cover. People are probably already familiar with 'B' and her CEO. B has been hit on numerous times since her debut, but stayed loyal to her relationship with her CEO. They say that once she finishes up her solo promotions, they'll get wed.

● The company of leader 'C' from a popular male idol group is said to be having some trouble photoshopping his flab. The group is known for their long, long years of staying together and is considered the role models for many young idol groups today. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to beat time, as although 'C' was once known for his chiseled body, he's gained a bit of weight. Because all of his pictures must now be photoshopped, their company is late on sending out official press photos, which means reporters are also late on reporting the news... Although his stomach flab is causing some obstacles, it makes us love him even more.

● The industry's representative pair of best friends 'C' and 'D' have been revealed to be maintaining a shaky friendship. It's true that C's career benefited a lot from D, but lately people have been saying that they rarely see the two together anymore. According to one broadcast official, their relationship has been on the rocks since filming a show together earlier this year. C's popularity has also been shooting up, leading to speculations of D possibly being jealous and upset.

● Idol 'E' of a popular idol group currently busily promoting in both Korea and Japan was said to have been rushed to the hospital during an interview. The problem turned out to be a boil on his butt. This idol group came under fire at the beginning of their debut for having embarrassing skills to even be considered a band, but lately they've been writing their own music and showing that they truly are enjoying and loving their music.

2. [+463, -198] Whenever fans try to group anyone that talks about marijuana as antis, I don't really feel anything because I've rarely ever seen anyone in real life NOT bring up marijuana at the mention of G-Dragon. I'd really like to see those fans try to defend G-Dragon offline like they are doing online... I want to see the look on their faces.

3. [+475, -233] I'm not a GD fan, just a man that enjoys his music, but seeing him come out on TV and release albums like nothing after all his scandals... just makes me think how ridiculous and upsetting it is. Other celebrities without popularity have to go on hiatus for years for things like drunk driving and that still doesn't guarantee a recovery of their careers.. and yet;;; I guess power really is everything;; His fans are just as worse for defending that;;

1. [+242, -16] SM has officially snagged the #1 rank as a company... Back in the day, it would've been Sidus but SM has definitely grown a lot since then

2. [+239, -17] On the roll they're going, SM could even set up their own broadcast network

3. [+220, -42] Hul, Jang Dong Gun and Kim Ha Neul are under SM now?? They even have all those other MCs and singers... Wow, SM's amazing, they've pretty much got every industry covered. I guess they aren't our country's top company for no reason.

4. [+54, -5] I don't think this is a laughing matter. Without competition, there's no advancement.

5. [+52, -10] I don't hate BoA or anything but I want Lee Soo Man to stop... After 'SM Nation', I'm scared of what they'll come up with next.. (TN: Netizens thought that the SM Nation stint at their SMTOWN concerts with all of the flags and representing themselves as their own country was scary and cult-like).

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Because I know some of you will mention it, there were a lot of comments saying that BoA's in no position to be ranking others, especially a great senior like Jang Dong Gun, but many also did retort saying that she was merely responding to the MC's question and left her answer at that. People were mostly too concerned with SM "swallowing the industry whole" than BoA's statement.

1. [+273, -106] Please don't make a big deal out of doing something everyone else has to do and serve safely

2. [+264, -9] Yeah... gotta do it while you still have hair

3. [+262, -52] He's the leader of a group with a lot of controversies so he's obviously gotten a lot of late, but how great is it that he enlisted as an active duty soldier. It would have been even better if he went as a soldier instead of a promotional unit but.. Whatever the case, I hope he doesn't get hurt during his service.

Reader requested an interview on Yang Hyun Suk. While the allkpop article focuses on one specific question about his belief in the idol fad, the actual interview covered a wide range of topics from becoming a husband to parenting, etc, so the best replies probably aren't as specific as what you were looking for. They're more focused on him being a hsuband.

1. [+400, -40] Fans from both sides began fighting over the tweets between Wooyoung and IU so Taecyeon wrote another tweet asking them to stop. He's right. It's not any of our concern whot hey tweet or who they're close with.

2. [+392, -51] All of the netizen computers need to be fu*king demolished

3. [+305, -25] It wasn't said as a jab towards Ham Eunjung. Before Taecyeon tweeted that, fans got roused up over other tweets he had sent to IU and so IU and Taecyeon both were being criticized before he clarified.

4. [+68, -8] I just went to their Twitters to see what it was about and I don't think Wooyoung, IU, or Taecyeon are in the wrong... All they did was tweet one another;; Why are the fans hating on each other...;;;

5. [+52, -7] Why are people taking those tweets negatively? Close friends talk to each other ilke that a lot. And IU knew that anything they put on their twitters can get to the media so she asked them to use Kakao Talk instead. She's being realistic.

I've gotten a few requests for reactions to Lee Min Jung and Lee Byung Hun dating and purposely put them off because... well... Lee Byung Hun has A LOT of history that dates years back. To put it simply, Korea isn't very fond of Lee Byung Hun for his past, and many were absolutely shocked and disappointed with Lee Min Jung when she confirmed that she was indeed in a relationship with him. Her reputation will most likely not recover unless she ends the relationship.

I will try to explain what happened as best as possible because I think this is yet another great example of how corrupted the industry is and how manipulated most of what we read can be.

Lee Byung Hun's reputation took its first hit in early 2000 when the first series of 'X-Files' were released (a collection of rumors and insider info on all of the top celebrities compiled by reporters, journalists, officials and staff in the industry, etc that was accidentally leaked to the public. It became a huge issue at the time because the X-Files was meant to be used among industry insiders only, but netizens got a hold of it. A bunch of entertainment agencies sued all of the people involved because the X-Files included a list of the people that compiled it).

Anyway, I digress.

In his X-Files page, several insiders reported that he was an absolute pervert in bed and that that was largely one of the reasons why Song Hye Kyo ended her relationship with him. He allegedly had a lot of bizarre fetishes and was a huge sex addict (especially with young girls).

Many didn't put much weight on to the rumors, that is, until Lee Byung Hun visited Canada for a press event for his 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' film and was introduced to a staff's friend named Kwon Miyeon, a 20 year old gymnast. After their initial meeting, Lee Byung Hun began hitting on her until she agreed to a relationship. He then convinced her to wrap up her life in Canada and come to Korea so that he can marry her and take care of her.

Thinking he'd keep his promise, she concluded her career as a gymnast and went to Korea. (Rumors also say Kwon Miyeon was pregnant with his child in Canada, which she aborted before coming to Korea.) Lee Byung Hun broke his promise by disappearing completely after getting her a small rental room.

Upset that she had lost everything while sacrificing her life for him, she filed a lawsuit against Lee Byung Hun for $100,000 USD. During this time, Lee Byung Hun was filming 'Iris', so CEO Jung Tae Won (Taewon Entertainment, production company behind 'Iris') realized that the scandal could blow up into something bigger and ruin the drama if they didn't take care of it immediately.

What they needed was a scapegoat, and they found it in former baseball player and TV star Kang Byung Kyu, who had a dirty image at the time for fraud and various gambling scandals. Kang Byung Kyu's girlfriend was friends with Kwon Miyeon so CEO Jung and Lee Byung Hun used that to their advantage to tell the media that Kang Byung Kyu was behind the whole thing and was actually the one controlling Kwon Miyeon, who they claimed was a sl*t looking for money.

Obviously since Kwon Miyeon was stranded in Korea with absolutely no money, she lost the case and disappeared from the media, with most thinking that Lee Byung Hun paid her off to stay quiet.

Kang Byung Kyu, however, demanded an apology for all of the lies that Lee Byung Hun was telling the media about him. CEO Jung asked Kim Seung Woo (an 'Iris' co-star who is also friends with Kang Byung Kyu) to invite Kang Byung Kyu to a meeting so that he can formally apologize to him.

What actually happened was that CEO Jung hired a bunch of men to lynch him. He had CCTV cameras running at the time so he recorded the whole thing and only released manipulated footage where it looked like Kang Byung Kyu was the one physically assaulting them when it was actually in defense.

He used the footage as media play to completely oust Kang Byung Kyu from the industry. As he already had a negative image, the media and the public easily believed the manipulation and launched a witch hunt against him, completely ruining his career and image.

Kang Byung Kyu took the case to court and stated that he was assaulted with a baseball bat first. As CEO Jung is a highly powerful man in Korea, the court was about to rule in CEO Jung's favor until Kim Seung Woo eventually stepped forward as a witness and told the truth about everything that had happened (the other staff at the scene refused to show as witnesses, as they were probably too scared of the repercussions, and stayed silent).

The court then launched an investigation into the CCTV and found that it was indeed manipulated, so Kang Byung Kyu was found innocent of all charges thanks to Kim Seung Woo's testimony.

It has done very little in recovering Kang Byung Kyu's career considering the level of influence both Lee Byung Hun and CEO Jung have on the media, so the public rarely followed what happened past the manipulation stage (netizens are well versed on it, though). Kang Byung Kyu has now dedicated his entire Twitter to talking sh*t about Lee Byung Hun and revealing dirty truths about him (he was the one that revealed Lee Byung Hun was in a relationship with Lee Min Jung before anyone else, along with several other speculations like how he's only in it to get her pregnant and leave her because he's obsessed with sleeping with young women). He's also involved in a few more lawsuits with Lee Byung Hun unrelated to the story.

1. [+579, -86] The worth of both of them has dropped ever since they've gone public with their relationship. I used to view Lee Min Jung with a goddess image, but now I think she's just weird... Am I the only one? ㅡㅡ

2. [+287, -31] Kang Byung Kyu was spot on

3. [+256, -22] ok whatever

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Other random comments:

"He'll open a press conference once he's done scoring her ㅋㅋ" (TN: X-Files mentioned that he'd shout out a score for every woman he has sex with after ejaculating on her)

"Maybe he's not done scoring her yet"

"He'll just bang her and throw her away, talks of marriage my a$$. Don't act like we don't know who Lee Byung Hun is"

"Would they really get married?... I feel like Lee Min Jung is screwing up her life.."

1. [+610, -42] I respect G-Dragon's fans. I mean the ones that admit that he was wrong and still try to give good advice. What I really hate are the stupid fangirls that try to defend every goddam little thing he does.

2. [+475, -133] ㅋㅋㅋ Looking forward to Doni's mentoring!!

3. [+278, -260] So they're really trying to forget about Seungri's scandal as if it never happened. If you committed a crime, you should expect to take time off to reflect on it. If you combine all of the times they didn't reflect and told them to do it all now, they'd have to retire with that time. There's only so much we can watch and let go.

4. [+135, -33] Wow, I really have no words for the comments on here. Are you guys really saying that a one night stand is "not a big deal"? This is exactly what I mean by stupid idols having an influence on teens. Just because their idols have one night stands, they think it's okay to do it themselves. I'm sorry to break it to you but one night stands will never be accepted in society as a moral act, you idiot teens. Think about how you'd like it if your mom, dad, your brother or even your unni had one night stands all the time. Can you call that a moral family? Your heads are filled with nothing but sh*t..

5. [+103, -97] There are people that write one wrong thing and get completely kicked out of the industry, and yet people that have plagiarzed, had sexually provocative concerts, murder, marijuana, rape, and failure to reflect are all coming out on TV with no shame. Is this Daehan Minguk (Korea) or Gaehan Minguk (Dog-rea?Dog Korea?)

3. [+171, -21] Let's up vote this and support him. Gil, Gary, welcome back. It wasn't right for you to try and hold the weight of this on your shoulders alone~~ Please pay back your fans with much laughter~ I trust that there are many great people around you~ Don't feel bad and just work hard~~^^ I support you!! Find strength and laugh lots

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The drama didn't have much favorable comments the last time I reported on it (click the tag above to see), but it seems it's made a turnaround.

I'm sure most of you know what 'ogeul' is but since it's brought up a lot in the comments, I'll explain it just in case. 'Ogeul ogeul' is basically what Koreans say to express an embarrassing act or cheesy situation, where your hands and toes curl with second hand embarrassment. It's not necessarily bad.-

2. [+55, -6] I started watching from the middle without any thought and continued watching it once I realized it's fun ㅋㅋㅋ The way they act is all so cute ㅋㅋ Not only the leads but also the teachers and the school seniors..

The article is about how the producers and his co-stars are postponing the recordings just to try and convince him to change his mind. The reporter states that if Gil doesn't return to the show, he'd still be causing obstacles for them so at this point, it'd be easier to just 'forcibly return' since it's the lesser of two extremes.

1. [+2,933, -375] I'd like to watch a 'Force Gil to Return' special on the show. The team can follow wherever Gil goes with cameras and be like, "Gil, what a coincidence! What brings you here?" (Replies to this reply: "Genius!", "This would be hilarious, I'd watch it no matter what", "Imagine if they even followed him into the bathroom ㅋㅋㅋ", and "I can already imagine Yoo Jaesuk saying that line!"

2. [+1,666, -318] I really wonder why people thought they had any right to force them to donate proceeds even before the concert was held. They're not a charity business, they don't have to do anything. They're just trying to act all charitable when really all they want are free tickets

3. [+1,57, -660] Comeback confidently, Gil!!! You did nothing wrong so why are you acting as if you are in the wrong!! The only people in the wrong are the reporters and the pathetic keyboard warriors!!! Come back and show us you having fun on the show again...

6. [+184, -86] Gil is amazing as a part of Leessang... but Gil is not so much as a part of 'Infinity Challenge'. Departing from whether or not the concert was right or wrong, I think it's better for Gil to leave.

7. [+181, -84] Even before this controversy came up, I wasn't too much of a fan of Gil in 'Infinity Challenge'... Although it's upsetting that he's leaving in a crappy situation like this, I am in favor of him leaving the show.

8. [+173, -100] You should only leave the show if you did something wrong. He did not do anything wrong, there were just a lot of misunderstandings. Anyone telling him to leave the show should just admit that they hate him.

9. [+164, -54] He'll only get more hated if he changes his decision again. He shouldn't have said he was going to leave in the first place;; It was wrong of him to put his emotions before logic. He should've thought it over more carefully...

10. [+142, -78] Why say you're going to leave if you're going to change your mind... He made a rash decision... I'm against his return~ What's the point of returning?

1. [+1,194, -7] How dare they say there is no evidence, how dare they call the daughters and the mother sluts.. They basically just admitted that there indeed was sexually activity involved. Although years have passed, I hope that the truth is revealed and that they receive the consequences for their actions

2. [+953, -6] I'm reminded of the movie Dogani........ Making me so angry

3. [+911, -135] I can't help but shed tears over how bitter the family must feel. Fu*cking b@stards, you will receive the consequences for your actions no matter what.

4. [+63, -1] Isn't the fact that two lives were lost because of these less than human beasts a call for investigation in itself? When reporters went to investigate them, they said that they had nothing to hide but kept telling reporters not to bring up the past. If they're so confident, why are they avoiding the real issue here? Do they think we're idiots? How dare they not apologize and call the girls sl*ts? Go to hell!!

5. [+54, -9] This breaks my heart...... I think this is what you call true trash. I hope that the two sisters and their father rest in Heaven with only good memories... Rest in peace.

2. [+505, -150] Why is it that there is not one b@stard with a straight head on his shoulders in this group?

3. [+490, -231] I used to really love Big Bang's songs as well as the members themselves for seeming innocent and humble... I've waken up now seeing as how one of the members has been doing such disgusting delinquent activities behind it all. I used to think that they were like g.o.d. with a clean image untouched by super stardom but how is it that each of the members act like this behind our backs.. Daesung, who looked the most innocent, hit a person with an import car.. and G-Dragon, what more can you say... The entertainment industry is so dirty ㅡㅡ

4. [+76, -5] For what little he has... I think Seungri has achieved and earned way too much...

5. [+70, -16] Just disband. How can all of them be delinquents except Taeyang? What are the odds of so many members from the same exact group causing that many problems.. There's something wrong with their heads. I'm scared that kids will try to copy them. There's no need for singers like this

1. [+164, -13] 20 year olds are usually breaking the backs of their parents with their school tuition... But his parents get a house and an import car... I guess this is why kids want to become celebrities so bad

2. [+131, -12] Chungdamdong... wow;; I was more thinking that SM was really strict when he said he had curfew but laughed when he said it was 3 a.m. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

3. [+95, -18] I hope that the other idols who can't sing will learn from it. I recognize that he's still not that great of a singer yet but he started out with bad skills to the point of always being mentioned alongside Goo Hara, Chansung, and Sohee... but now he's at the level where he can sing on 'Immortal Song 2'.. He deserves praise.

1. [+482, -133] So upset with what happened... They should have spread news about the concert first as much as they could because I'm sure if they communicated with the fans more, the ticket prices wouldn't have gotten this controversial.. ㅜㅜ Instead of finding who to blame, I hope they resolve everything so the members can get back to filming happily!

2. [+369, -191] I really have nothing to say to all of the commenters here... None of you have the right to tell anyone to comeback or not.. I'd rather you guys not comment at all because this whole thing is a result of all you dogtizens. Hateful b@stards..

3. [+322, -195] To all of the people asking for Gil back, would you still have wanted him back if he had announced his leave to focus on his music career? No, you would all be jumping with joy...

1. [+533, -188] You guys are going to hate on him again if he comes back and isn't funny to your standards. The funny thing about our country is that they're always the one starting problems and once it gets big enough that drastic things like this happen, they act like they weren't involved and start shifting the blame to a scapegoat that no one can identify like "netizens". Then where did all those people that started the problem go? It's disgusting how you guys are all acting like you care about Gil right now

2. [+446, -244] It's going to be hard for the members to film happily in a situation like this.. How sorry and frustrating it must be for them to watch Gil try to take the blame for all of this on his shoulders. He should use his friends for times like this.. why is he taking all of the weight himself..? If he really does leave the show, I don't think I'll be comfortable watching 'IF' again...

3. [+118, -84] Just leave the show. Honestly, Gil wasn't any fun to watch. Although his reason for leaving isn't the ideal way anyone would want, I think it's right that he leaves. It's the same idea as idols and singers trying to act when they don't have the skills for it. Gil doesn't have the skills for variety. Just go back to your place in music and work hard. Don't try to make it work when you can't because it's upsetting to watch.

8. [+89, -31] So it must've all been true then. The only people in the group that have any right to reprimand him are T.O.P. or Taeyang.. Jiyong doesn't deserve to say a word, and unfortunately for Daesung, yeah... I'm not a Big Bang fan but I think it'd be great if they went back to their roots

9. [+78, -24] This isn't a matter of reflection but halting his activities. All of their cases are unresolved. If they're not belittling the public, they should apologize and halt their activities. Do they think it's over just because they reprimanded him by themselves?

10. [+72, -20] Did they just say that it was "a good experience"... Marijuana, car accidents, sex scandals... Yeah, I'm sure they're all "good experiences"...

The article is a recap of a 'Strong Heart' episode where Shin Dong Yeob mentioned that he was an original SM Entertainment member back in the 90s with H.O.T. To that, Super Junior's Leeteuk said, "It doesn't count since you left and came back. It's a new slate with a new contract."

1. [+214, -56] The Super Junior members really have no respect.. Who cares if this is a variety show or not, someone please tell them to get some common sense and respect...

2. [+192, -43] Even if it was said as just a joke, please get some respect. How dare he speak like that to a senior with a status as high as the sky? With his logic, would that mean that Steve Nash transferring to the Lakers would make him their maknae because it's a new contract even though he has 16 years of history with the NBA? At the age of 39? This was truly the most disrespectful thing said all year long... You can't even call it a joke.. I'm embarrassed for him

3. [+161, -60] (These replies) might be frustrating for all you fangirls to read but you have to realize that Shin Dong Yeob is someone that provides an entire nation with laughter. Don't think that you're special just because you're an idol.

1. [+677, -65] The reason their group doesn't have discord is because Hyorin's the strongest and the rest of the members follow whatever she says...

2. [+510, -35] T-ara, are you reading this?

3. [+368, -44] They haven't even been in the industry that long, way too early to talk about discord

4. [+96, -2] T-ara's basically a collection of girls that were treated like princesses in their own group of delinquents so I think that's what made the bullying more severe... Whereas with SISTAR, they're more like a collection of the leader of delinquent groups that make sly comments and such

5. [+77, -5] They all used to be delinquents so I'm sure they've got their ranking all sorted out

6. [+74, -4] I like SISTAR but I think it'd be really scary if they fought ㅋㅋ

7. [+70, -1] I don't think it's only Hyorin, the rest of them look like they'd have really loud personalities with a bit of an anger streak

8. [+68, -1] They seem more like the type to get into a huge fight and make up right after instead of doing petty things like bullying ㅋㅋ

9. [+54, -5] Aside from Bora, they all used to be delinquents, so...

10. [+39, -1] They'd fight until they saw blood if they did fight ㅋㅋ So they're staying harmonious so no one gets hurt.. SISTAR, fighting!

Pann post on Boram's drastic weight loss. The media brought it up a few times over the past couple of weeks, but these recent pictures have put me in utter shock...

The votes on the actual post were [+7, -303].

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1. [+324, -5] ;; Sorry to say this but she looks deformed ;; gross... Does she not have a full body mirror at home?

2. [+313, -11] Now that nothing else is working, is KKS trying to gain sympathy by starving them? I don't want to see them period so please stick a rice cake in your mouth and leave

3. [+243, -1] Hul, just her head is big.. and her body is too thin and... weird; Looks deformed... It's not weight lost by exercise, looks more like she's diseased;.......... Maybe it's cause she's short, but her head looks even bigger

1. [+785, -273] Like the oldest hyung and leader of Super Junior that he is, he seems to be setting a great example

2. [+524, -73] As long as he doesn't act like he was the only one in that served in the army when he gets discharged like Boom, I don't care. I have nothing to say to someone that is getting medical treatment for something that hurts. Just graduate from a general troop staff and earn your credentials confidently

3. [+930, -638] Although enlisting is something definite... You are better than the other .. cough cough cough cough (TN: Reference to Yoochun getting out of serving as an active duty soldier for asthma... Netizens nicknamed him Park Yoochunshik [chunshik = asthma] because they feel that if he's able to smoke cigarettes, it's not serious enough to excuse him from active service.)

1. [+460, -93] Why are people putting so much expectations into a passing role? Idols are only being used in this drama for nothing other than to sell the drama internationally

2. [+266, -37] We'll have to wait and see

3. [+266, -62] They'd be the perfect match for the intelligence personnel partners we saw in Iris 1 ㅋㅋㅋ

4. [+100, -66] Lee Da Hae is kind of...... all I can think when she acts is that she's only acting to look as pretty as possible!!! I don't like the female cast line-up~~~~ Do they really have no one better??

5. [+68, -26] Why can't singers act? Lee Seung Gi, Lee Jang Woo, Yoona, Suzy - all of them act, why doesn't anyone hate on them? Dramas like Reply and You're Handsome and others with idols did well as long as the characters and stories were well written -- and I think it's going overboard saying that the drama's going to fail before it even started solely because it has a few idols in it. And like the article said, Lee Joon and Jiyoung have been building their acting skills up with dramas and movies and have received praise from directors and fellow casts. Finger warriors, you guys are worse... They're not even main roles so please keep the hate to a minimum. Lee Joon and Jiyoung fighting, I hope Iris 2 does well.

2. [+64, -2] It was so sweet when King Gongmin wiped the tears of Princess No Guk ♥

3. [+61, -1] I love the Gong NO couple so much... but why aren't they in the previews? ㅠㅠㅠ Anyway, they finally confessed their love... I hope they can now show what romance was like back in their days

1. [+1,121, -45] When people were putting the concert down, all of the articles were talking as if the concert was in it for the money. Now that people are supporting the concert saying the tickets were realistically priced, articles like this are coming up... I think journalists are truly the best at making up their own controversies;;;

2. [+921, -30] Wasn't the start of all of the hate and criticism from internet articles to begin with? They're the ones that pushed public opinion into that direction and now that the situation has gotten this big, they're acting as if they didn't play a part. Can we please stick to writing articles that state just the facts? Even this article title is a direct copy of a netizen reply, meant to do nothing more than stir up feelings.

3. [+720, -27] There were only hateful articles at first and now... What a disappointment

1. [+260, -58] It's about time that he explains Seungri's side of the story. Stop trying to hide it.

2. [+155, -9] Yang Hyun Suk is not a celebrity but a CEO and investor of an entertainment company

3. [+221, -84] Criminal idols shave the worth down while Psy raises it all back up

4. [+70, -62] Sure enough, the article was written by journalist Gil Hye Sung, CEO Yang's personal slave. Star News (Gil Hye Sung), OSEN (Son Nam Won) and Lee Moon Won are all journalists known for writing whatever Yang Hyun Suk orders them to and shooting them up the rankings. They're trash journalists that use media play to fill their wallets. It's obvious that Gil Hye Won is the one in charge of writing all of the shield articles for YG, including Seungri's scandal. Yang Hyun Suk is the god of media play who knows nothing but corporate money. Every day in live time we get influxes of YG media play and series of interviews from him. A month ago, an article about him ranking #1 in stock was released.. An article about his stock yet again was released three weeks ago, and once again two weeks ago... Does it make him feel good about media playing with his stock every week? Will he media play about his real estate next week?

5. [+29, -13] The greatest decision Yang Hyun Suk made in his entire life was contracting with Psy...

1. [+339, -36] Hoya seems to have learned a lot through the drama. I'm really proud of him for exceeding my expectations since it was his first time promoting alone without the group. I can see that he truly worked hard. He must have been determined for his career to drop out of high school for it.

2. [+266, -26] Thank you for always showing how hard you work ^^ You're amazing even now and I'm looking forward to watching you grow in the future ^^ Singing, acting, dancing, variety.. Hoya, fighting!

3. [+280, -56] Hoya, the level of your education is not important as long as you continue to show a great image ㅎㅎㅎ I love watching your confidence!! You are amazing just the way you are. I loved Reply 1997!! ♥

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On the topic of 'Reply', here's an Eunji article that was hovering around the top as well.

1. [+382, -27] Gaesae~~~~~~~~~~kkya~~~~~~~~~~ah~~~~ (TN: son of a bi*ch, line she said during the scene)

2. [+390, -38] She was great ㅋㅋㅋ It was a bit awkward but nothing you can't praise her for. Jung Eunji, fighting fighting fighting!

3. [+367, -41] She was really good..?!! I really think she exceeded that of an idol ㅎㅎ She's also pretty and sings well ㅋㅋ and even great at acting now ㅋㅋ Looking forward to her more more more in the future!!

Netizen Buzz

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